1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drum pedal assembly, and more particularly to an adjustable drum pedal assembly so the pedal can be adjusted to be depressed nimbly and easily.
2. Description of Related Art
With reference to FIG. 6, a conventional drum pedal assembly generally comprises a pedal assembly (50), a drive device (60) and a return device (70).
The pedal assembly (50) comprises a baseplate (51), two posts (52), a pedal (55), a rotating shaft (53) and a drum hammer (54).
The baseplate (51) sits on a floor next to a drum and has a front end and a rear end.
The posts (52) are mounted on and extend up from the baseplate (51) parallel to each other near the front end. Each post (52) has a distal end, a proximal end and a pivot hole. The proximal ends of the posts (52) are mounted on the baseplate (51). The pivot holes are defined respectively through the distal ends of the posts (52) and face and are aligned with each other.
The drum pedal (55) is pivotally connected to the baseplate (51) and has a rear end and a front end. The rear end of the drum pedal (53) is connected pivotally to the baseplate (51).
The rotating shaft (53) has a non-circular cross section, is mounted rotatably in the pivot holes in the posts (52) and has two ends. The ends of the rotating shaft (53) are mounted respectively in the pivot holes of the posts (52). One end extends through the corresponding pivot hole.
The drum hammer (54) is attached to and extends transversely from the rotating shaft (53), pivots and strikes a drum when the rotating shaft (53) rotates and has a distal end, a proximal end and a through hole. The through hole is defined transversely near the proximal end of the drummer hammer (54), has a non-circular cross section corresponding to the cross section of the rotating shaft (53) and is attached securely to the rotating shaft (53).
The drive device (60) is mounted on and rotates the rotating shaft (53), is connected to the pedal (55) and has a shaft connector (61) and a chain (62). The shaft connector (61) is wedge shaped, is mounted eccentrically on the rotating shaft (53) and has a curved outer edge, two sides, a transverse through hole and a setscrew. The curved outer edge has a groove and a threaded hole. The groove has an upper end and a lower end. The threaded hole is formed radially in the groove near the upper end. The transverse through hole is formed through the shaft connector (61) between the two sides, communicates with the threaded hole, has a non-circular cross section corresponding to the cross section of the rotating shaft (53) and is mounted on the rotating shaft (53). The setscrew screws into the threaded hole and presses against the rotating shaft (53) to hold the shaft connector (61) in place on the rotating shaft (53).
The chain (62) is connected to the drum pedal (55) and the shaft connector (61) and has a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end is connected to the front end of the drum pedal (55). The distal end is mounted in the groove in the curved outer edge of the shaft connector (61) and is connected to the shaft connector (61) by the setscrew screwed into the threaded hole so the chain (62) rotates the shaft connector (61) and the rotating shaft (53), which pivots the drum hammer (54) and causes the drum hammer (54) to strike the drum when the pedal (55) is pressed down.
The return device (70) is mounted on the baseplate (51) adjacent to one of the posts (52), is connected to the end of the rotating shaft (53) extending through the corresponding pivot hole in the post (52), rotates the rotating shaft (53) so the drum hammer (54) is in an upright position when the pedal (55) is not pressed down and has a rotating bracket (72), a rotating connector (73), a base (75), a stationary connector (74) and a spring (71).
The rotating bracket (72) is attached to the end of the rotating shaft (53) extending through the corresponding pivot hole and has a transverse mounting hole and a lower end. The transverse mounting hole is securely mounted on the rotating shaft (53).
The rotating connector (73) is attached to the lower end of the rotating bracket (72) and has a front end, a rear end and a transverse mounting hole. The front end of the rotating connector (73) is attached securely to the rotating bracket (72). The transverse mounting hole is formed transversely through the rotating connector (73) near the rear end.
The base (75) is mounted on the posts (52) corresponding to the rotating bracket (72) and has a threaded mounting hole. The threaded mounting hole is formed vertically through the base (75).
The stationary connector (74) is attached to and extends up from the base (75) and has a proximal end, a distal end, a transverse mounting hole and an external thread. The transverse mounting hole is formed on the distal end of the stationary connector (74). The external thread is formed on the proximal end of the stationary connector (74) and is screwed into the threaded mounting hole in the base (75).
The spring (71) is attached to the rotating connector (73) and the stationary connector (74) and has two hooks. The hooks are mounted respectively in the transverse mounting holes in the rotating connector (73) and the stationary connector (74) so the spring (71) pulls the rotating connector (73) down when the pedal (55) is not pressed down, pivots the rotating shaft (53) and returns the drum hammer (54) to an upright position. Defects and shortcomings of the conventional drum pedal assembly (50) follow.
1. The return device (70) is attached in a fixed position to the drum pedal assembly (50), and the spring (71) cannot follow the rotating connector (73) and the rotating bracket (72). Consequently, more force must be applied to the pedal (55) to operate the conventional drum pedal assembly (50).
2. Where the stationary connector (74) and the spring (71) are mounted is not adjustable so the conventional drum pedal assembly (50) is not versatile in use.